Summer Weekend Escapes: Montgomery, Alabama

We all need a little break, especially during the summer. If you are looking for an educational experience a trip to Montgomery, Alabama may be exactly what you are looking for. Full of southern hospitality, Montgomery is also full of history.

Montgomery, Alabama has a small airport that you can fly into or Montgomery is around a two hour drive from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. There is no shortage of hotels to stay in. Some of the best accommodations are: the Butterfly Inn , located in historic downtown, Red Bluff Cottage Bed & Breakfast, above the Alabama River in the Cottage Hill District. The Embassy Suites Hotel and Montgomery Conference Center next to the city's historic Union Station.

Once you are in Montgomery, there are plenty of places to dine. The Four Seasons Restaurant at Capital Inn offers a fine in town for good old-fashioned Southern cooking. Two of the nicest places to dine in Montgomery are Dawson's At Rose Hill Dawson's at Rose Hill is a historic home with meals served by candlelight and a Northern Italian menu. Dinner is served from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. and reservations are suggested.

Since Montgomery was the birth place of the Confederacy and of civil rights., there are lots of educational attractions to visit. For those interested in learning about the civil rights movement, this are my recommended attractions. Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church is the church that Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr. served at while leading the bus boycotts. The Dexter Avenue Parsonage Museum was Dr. King's home. It has been restored to look like it did when the King family lived there/ Rosa Parks Library & Museum shows a re-enactment of the events and comments made by participants of the Bus Boycott, Civil Rights Memorial honors those who died during the civil rights movement.

For those interested in learning about Montgomery's participation in the Civil War, there is much to see. The Alabama State Capital became the first capitol of the Confederacy on February 18, 1861. A gold star in front of the Capitol shows where Jefferson Davis, took his oath of office. Also located on the northern part of the state capital is the Confederate Memorial. Across Washington Street from the capital is the First White House of the Confederacy. The Jefferson family lived here for 3 months, when the capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia. The Confederate Post Office is located at the corner of Washington and Perry Streets, it was the only Confederate post office able to make a profit. It is also the only building in Montgomery that was build earthquake proof.

If you want to see fine art's Montgomery has that as well. The Blount Park houses both the The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Shakespeare Festival. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has a huge collection of art work as well as an interactive fine arts gallery for children. You will definitely want to see a play at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. It is one of the largest ten Shakespeare Festivals in the world and has plays all year long. You can also enjoy the loveliness of the park by sitting at the lake and feeding ducks. Many of the Auburn university at Montgomery students come here for a quiet place to study.

So surround yourself with southern hospitality and visit Montgomery for an unforgettable weekend. You are will learn a lot and have fun while doing it. You will learn to understand the phrase "Ya'll come back now, you hear."